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7-Year-Old Finds Nail In Panera Bread Cookie

A 7-year-old girl bit into a large Panera Bread chocolate chip cookie and reportedly discovered a rusty nail.

The girl’s mother, who had stopped in to the store to pick up the cookie on the way home to give to her daughter as a treat, notified Penara about her daughter’s disturbing and dangerous find in the takeout order. The Panera store in turn contacted law enforcement. The incident occurred on November 25.

Darien, Connecticut police have the nail-in-the-cookie matter under investigation. According to the police department, there is no basis for believing that the two-inch nail was deliberately baked into the cookie, and this is the only reported occurrence so far.

Panera Bread said it buys the cookie dough from a third-party vendor. According to the Darien Times, “Panera Bread receives deliveries of frozen cookie dough from a distributor and cookies are baked at the store. The Darien Panera Bread store has removed all of its cookies since the incident was reported. Panera Bread and [the distributor] are cooperating with the investigation.” Added the Hartford Courant, “The girl was not injured. The nail is approximately two inches long and is consistent with the type of nail used in the construction of wood pallets, according to police.”

The health department conducted a preliminary inspection of the Panera Bread restaurant earlier this week as part of the ongoing investigation.

According to a Panera Bread spokesperson, the “situation is currently being reviewed,” and added that “Our cookie dough is supplied by a third-party vendor who has procedures in place to detect metal.”

With about 1,500 franchises in the US, the Panera Bread chain is categorized as “fast casual” and has received numerous accolades for its healthy menu. It has also implemented a pay-what-you can concept in certain of its restaurants across the country.